Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

Dear readers, do you know how much time it took me to find the BEST and most QUALITY book for a Valentine’s Day post? How many hours I spent searching my bookshelves and those of the local library? How much time I spent carefully evaluating the quality of this or that HEA and the chemistry of the couple?

JK, I went straight to Rachel Hawkins. I know from following Rachel Hawkins on Twitter that if you want silly, gossipy, juicy romance with a dash of ridiculousness, she is THE QUEEN of that. I’ve been wanting to read Royals ever since it came out, just in time for Harry and Meagan’s wedding. So when I saw it at the library a little while ago, I jumped on it.

Seriously, this is an excellent book if you’re looking for something light, funny, and dramatic. The story follows Daisy, average American highschooler–whose older sister happens to be marrying Alex, the Prince of Scotland. After her ex-boyfriend makes a habit of leaking things to the press, it’s decided that Daisy should join her sister Ellie in Scotland for the summer, to assist with wedding preparations, as well as so everyone can keep a closer eye on her. But this backfires when Daisy becomes involved with Alex’s younger brother Sebastian and his friends, known in the press as the ‘Royal Wreckers’.

Daisy is an immediate hoot–with Ariel-red hair, a strong sense of individualism and an unwillingness to cave in the face of the daunting traditions of the Scottish royals. It’s clear that she’s uncomfortable with the whole situation, especially with how her quiet life has been upended, but she’s always trying to make the best of it. She’s loyal to Ellie and her friends, compassionate, but also not afraid to speak her mind when she thinks the situation warrants it (for instance, snapping at a Duchess in Ellie’s defense) even when it gets her in trouble. She doesn’t let the fact that she’s out of her depth change her personality, which I really liked.

And the whole thing with the Royal Wreckers was hilarious. Daisy gets thrown into an awkward position with Prince Sebastian (after tabloids hint that she’s after him to get her own crown), and Sebastian seems unwilling to dissuade the press. So, after a few of these ‘incidents’, she’s placed with the one responsible member of the Royal Wreckers, Miles, to repair her image and untangle her image from Sebastian. But between Miles saving her from a horseback accident and helping her deal with society, is it any wonder that there’s a connection between them?

What I especially liked is how Daisy’s common sense cuts through all of Edinburg society like a knife. She’s not afraid to scold Sebastian for how he treated her friend, but she’s also down to spend time with him and the rest of the Wreckers so long as they aren’t trying to make her drink. She shrugs when she finds Sebastian’s twin sister Flora kissing Sebastian’s date, Lady Tamsin, but isn’t afraid to go to bat for Ellie against the Queen. But at the same time, I found Daisy’s issues with being in the spotlight very relatable–despite how she kept appearing in the tabloids, she didn’t like the constant attention on her, and she didn’t get swept up in the royal fever either. But that also meant that she wasn’t quite sure what to do when something genuine appeared in the world she’d convinced herself was make-believe, which was also pretty good.

Anyways, if you want a silly, sweet, gossipy love story this Valentines, look no further than Rachel Hawkins Royals (soon to be re-released as Prince Charming, with a GORGEOUS new cover). And if you’d like all of the above but with less heterosexuality and more girls kissing, I HIGHLY recommend that you join me in snatching up copies of Her Royal Highness (Flora’s story) come May.

Happy Valentines, everyone!

Disclaimer: The synopsis and cover picture were pulled from the book’s Goodreads page. Neither belong to us.